Funeral service for John W Montgomery age 88 of Hartselle will be Wednesday June 22, at 10:00 a.m. at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Brother Charles Shaddix officiating. Burial will follow in Hartselle Memory Gardens. Visitation will be Tuesday, June 21 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home. He is preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Gloria Clemons Montgomery and by his parents. Mr. Montgomery passed from this life on June 19, 2016. He was born October 5, 1927, in Morgan County to the late J W. Montgomery and Zula Thompson Montgomery. He was a lifelong member of First Baptist Church Hartselle where he served as a deacon and usher. He began his career at Ingles Ship Yard, leaving to attend Auburn University where he studied Architecture and earned a position on the football team. His time at Auburn was interrupted by the US Navy and World War II. His naval service began aboard the USS Rochester ending in various naval Hospitals as an aide. Following discharge he attended Gadsden State Technical School obtaining an Associate’s Degree in Drafting. He then started a long career in the design of penal systems locking mechanisms. First working at Decatur Iron & Steel and then moved over to Willo Products both of Decatur. He obtained the title of Vice President at Willo before moving on to Chief of Field Inspection at Southern Steel of San Antonio, Texas. He is credited with 7 patents for locking devices. He left security system design and returning home to Hartselle and Sonoco designing and building platform scales. He retired from Sonoco but did not stay retired long as Slate Security of Hartselle and Folger-Adam of Chicago enticed him to come out of retirement and design locking devices for them. He retired for good and took up a new profession of spoiling his great-grandchildren.
Survivors include his son, David Montgomery (Linda); his daughter, Jean Montgomery Rausch (Dave) all of Hartselle; One sister, Margaret Bondurant of Fayetteville, Ark; Four grandchildren, Chris Montgomery, Jennifer Blankenship (Joe) Mike McKelvey (Callie) all of Hartselle, and Matt Montgomery (Melisa) of Auburn; Ten great- grandchildren, Christin & Sean Montgomery, Ava & Addison Montgomery, Lauren, Daniel & Kevin Blankenship. Camryn, Colton & Reed McKelvey.
Pallbearers will be Chris Montgomery, Matt Montgomery, Mike McKelvey, Joe Blankenship, Daniel Blankenship & Kevin Blankenship. Honorary Pallbearers will be deacons of Hartselle First Baptist Church.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers that a donation be made to the library of Hartselle First Baptist Church or your local Hospice organization.
